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June 28, 2005
Lip service
Dr. Jeffrey Feldman did a seminar at Democracy Fest; this is from his latest post:
Lately, Americans have been less and less inspired to serve in the armed forces. And yet, as shocking as our sagging enlistment figures are, they have been quickly knocked off the front pages by Congressional bickering over a speech made by one senator, by the President's half-hearted attempt to sell the country a Social Security plan it does not want, and by yet another anti-Constitutional bill intended to criminalize the burning of the American flag.Just as plunging stock prices indicate a loss of faith in a publicly traded corporation, plunging enlistment numbers signal a radical loss of faith in the war policies of a President. Simply put: When Americans believe in a war, they are inspired to enlist. Even if a war is not the official policy of our government, Americans who believe in that war are inspired to serve in it.
Amidst the noise over issues that mean little, if anything, in comparison to Iraq, nobody seems to be asking this: Why are Americans no longer inspired to serve in the armed forces? What has happened in less than five years of George W. Bush as President that Americans are shying away from service in our military?
The answer is disarmingly simple: politicians lie, soldiers don't.
That's the long and short of it. In the past few months, the truth that soldiers speak upon returning from Iraq has started to outpace the lies that policians tell in their attempts to sell the war to the American people. And that impact will continue to be felt the longer we keep our soldiers in Iraq.With each passing day, more and more soldiers return. With each passing day, Americans who were inspired to serve their country in time of war are returning from the battlefield with stories about the real situation in Iraq. Despite all that we who have not served are being told by the White House or by the Democrats in Congress--despite all we read in the papers or see on TV or find on the internet--the stories of American soldiers who have actually served on Iraq are now circulating in the very places that once had the highest enlistment numbers in America.
As a result, the war in Iraq is no longer being fought solely on the battlefields of Baghdad or in the desert of Darfur. The war in Iraq is also being fought at kitchen tables in Texas, during carpool rides in North Carolina, at lunch counters in Louisiana, and at water coolers in Wyoming.
These everyday locations, familiar to all of us, are now places were Americans are listening to and retelling the stories of their brothers, their children, and their parents who have just returned from Iraq. In these ordinary places far away from the bright lights and backdrops of party politics, Americans are discussing the stories, emails and letters from soldiers in the field.
More here.
Posted by Guest Blogger PDiddie at June 28, 2005 07:50 AM | Permalink
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Comments
Without doubt, we are less secure through dishonesty and belligerence. There's no reason why we can't swing public opinion about national defense and foreign policy.
Here's another phrase to use: the Bush Republicans. Let's paint them all with the same brush, then leave each Republican responsible for creating his own distance from the neo-nuts.
Posted by: uberman at June 28, 2005 07:06 PM
I like that idea! So many moderate Republicans keep claiming they "are not like Bush and those nuts" but vote for the party as if the two weren't connected. We must make sure they can't do that.
Posted by: Susan Gates at June 28, 2005 08:31 PM
From the perspective of the media, soldiers's stories make good copy and good television. I'm just old enough to recall that the when the plight of troops coming home from Vietnam started to enter the public consciousness, the tide of public opinion about the war began to turn. Given so much living memory of that experience, the American people are unlikely to wait that long to be convinced this time, that these endless wars are bad for soldiers in more ways than one. The soldiers opinions about the war -- for or against -- carry a great deal of weight.
Posted by: Mike Chappell at June 29, 2005 09:57 AM